Body Fat Benchmark: 24.2%

I had my body fat measured a couple of weeks ago as a benchmark. It's 24.2 percent. Up until now, I have told two people. Funny thing has been their reaction: "Are we happy or sad about that?"

I just laugh. Given where I've been, I find it amusing that anyone would think I could be emotionally tied to any number. The scale doesn't upset me. Why would I give that control to a skinfold caliper?

I get it. Most women live and die by some number. It may be a number on the scale or even a clothing size. Whatever it is, these numbers tend to hold a lot of power over women. A small number can send a woman jumping for joy, while a large number can be depressing.

Fortunately, I am not one of those women. I use the scale, my clothes and even this most recent skinfold test as nothing more than metrics to help me track my progress. I have to know where I'm at if I'm going to track where I'm going. That's what my numbers are about. To make them mean anything more or less steals my attention from what's truly important, which is my goal.